black history month

Brown v. Board of Education

This landmark decision declared unconstitutional state statutes that required the segregation of public schools by race.

The Brown case itself was filed in 1951 on behalf of the Reverend Oliver Brown, a Topeka, Kansas, welder whose daughter Linda was required to attend a black school 21 blocks from her house when a white school was only 7 blocks away. The lawsuit was later consolidated with similar cases from other states, and argued before the Supreme Court by Marshall in 1952 and 1953.

The Supreme Court on May 17, 1954 issued a unanimous opinion written by Chief Justice Earl Warren. "We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore we hold that the plaintiffs… [have been] deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the 14th Amendment." The ruling, the Washington Post editorialized, "affords all Americans an occasion for pride and gratification."

Related article: The Brown v. Board of Education Decision -- 50 Years Later